1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to detachable car seats or booster seats or what is often called a "toddler's car seat" that are detachably secured to an automobile seat and are for use by children when riding in a vehicle such as an automobile. The present invention is particularly directed to a portable protective cushion arrangement that is not physically connected to such booster seat or toddler's seat, but rather is positioned on the booster seat or toddler's seat and on each side of and at the front of a child sitting in the booster seat or toddler's car seat so as to protect the child from injury in the event of a vehicle accident, to protect the child from any rough places on the booster seat or toddler's seat and to provide a more enclosing cushioned support to enable the child to ride in greater comfort for short and long distances, especially while sleeping.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,122 discloses an example of one form of a child's toddler's seat or booster seat with which the present invention may be used. The toddler's seat or booster seat may be used by children who are beyond the infant stage, but who are still too small to use the seat belt arrangement usually provided in a vehicle such as an automobile. The booster seat described in the patent includes a seat portion on which the child sits, right and left sidewalls that are integral with and extend upwardly from the seat portion, and a back that extends between and connects the right and left sidewalls and is also connected to the seat portion. The booster seat is also provided with two opposed shields that are rotatably connected to the booster seat and are each rotatable from an open position to enable the child to be seated on the booster seat, to a mating position above the seat portion, where the shields provide arm rests for the child and also prevent the child from falling forward from the booster seat. The booster seat itself is suitably secured to the automobile seat as by the seat belts commonly provided in automobiles and similar type vehicles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,357 discloses an example of a portable auxiliary seat cushion for providing upper body support for a child sitting on a chair or other support structure in the home or while riding in a moving vehicle, particularly while strapped into a seat belt or using a child's booster safety seat. The portable auxiliary seat cushion has a seat panel hinged, as by stitching, to a backrest panel. The top of the backrest panel is in the shape of an arch. An upper body support ridge is connected to and extends around the perimeter of the backrest panel and projects forwardly from the backrest panel like a large inverted "U" for supporting a child's shoulders and head when the child is seated in an upright position on the portable auxiliary seat cushion. The different panels mentioned may be covered with a washable fabric and are filled with firm but resilient material. The backrest panel and seat panel, due to the hinge arrangement therebetween, may also be positioned in a flat horizontal manner to convert into a comfortable portable mat for a child to lay on while in recumbent position. The portable auxiliary seat cushion prevents a child seated thereon in an upright position from falling sideways. The patentee contends that it will also prevent the child from falling forwardly, but it is not clear from the disclosure how this can be accomplished. It is indicated that there are two V-shaped slits, one on each end of the hinge portion, where the seat panel connects to the backrest panel, for the purpose of enabling a seat belt to pass therethrough. It is noted, however, that the location of the seat belt with respect to a seated child would be situated so low on the child that the seat belt also would not serve to prevent the upper body of the child from falling forward.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,903 discloses a protective cushion that is secured to a child's auto seat so as to protect passengers seated adjacent the child's auto seat from injury or discomfort from the hard, angular, or rough surfaces of the exterior of the child's auto seat. The protective cushion is a tubular construction, the longitudinal center of which is located at the top center of the child's auto seat back. Each remaining portion of the protective cushion is positioned downwardly adjacent a portion of one of the laterally, outwardly facing sides of the child's auto seat and thus serves to provide the aforementioned protection for passengers seated adjacent the child's auto seat. Two or more pairs of ties may be provided to attach the protective cushion to the child's auto seat. The ties encircle the protective cushion and frame of the child's auto seat and may be adjustably tightened to compress the cushion. This protective cushion, however, does not serve to provide any protection for the child sitting in the child's auto seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,388 discloses a collapsible, compact, lightweight seat insert, which is box-shaped. The seat insert includes a back wall, a pair of side walls, a bottom wall and a front wall having a pair of openings for accommodating an infant's legs. The seat insert may serve to support an infant or an elderly person in a sitting position to assist the infant or elderly person against tilting or slouching, thereby enabling the infant or elderly person to sit in a much more erect and comfortable position. The dimensions of the seat insert may, of course, be increased to accommodate an elderly person as distinguished from an infant, and the front wall of the seat insert that has a pair of openings for an infant's legs would, of course, be eliminated. The disclosed seat insert of the patent appears to be independent from any use with a booster seat or toddler's seat and in the manner disclosed, it would appear to serve the function of a booster or toddler's seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,611 discloses for use with an infant's car seat a car seat pillow having a pair of side cushions that are engageable with the opposite sides of a child's head and a neck cushion that is connected to and extends between the side cushions for engagement beneath the bulge of a child's head. Tether straps are provided for attaching the cushions to the shoulder straps of a car seat. The pair of side cushions and neck cushion are shown as being preferably formed as a unitary structure. The purpose of the car seat pillow is to provide support for the heads and necks of infants and other small children, especially if they fall asleep and their heads fall to one side or the other, so as to prevent discomfort in the infant's neck. The car seat pillow of the patent is also supposed to protect the child's neck in the event of an auto accident. Since the dimensions given for the height of the neck cushion are on the order of one and one-half inches and the height of the side cushions are on the order of three inches, it would be questionable that such neck cushion and side cushions would be comfortable for any length of time for a child the size of a toddler, which is the size of child contemplated for using the present invention disclosed herein.